


Ultron's First Christmas

by ErinPrimette



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, F/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:31:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5335871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPrimette/pseuds/ErinPrimette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Christmas around the corner, Carol decided to plan a Christmas party for the Avengers, and she roped in Loki and Ultron to help her out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ultron's First Christmas

Carol was in the middle of adding shading to her holiday-themed print in Photoshop. It was snowing outside and there was a matter of the fact that it's getting cold, so Carol kept herself warm with a sweater. Snoofles was happily sitting in her lap and Ivy was currently out patrolling for anyone who would steal from the everyday Christmas shopper at the mall. While Carol was working on her print, she thought of whether the Avengers would still be busy saving the world during Christmas. She figured that maybe they deserve a break during the holiday. While she continued working on the print, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" called Carol.

The door opened and Loki stepped inside.

"Oh hi, Loki!" chirped Carol, "what are you doing here?"

"Is it all right if I talk to you?" asked Loki.

"Sure," nodded Carol, "what do you want to talk about?"

Loki sat down on the armchair as Carol paused her work and turned her office chair until she was facing him.

"I was browsing in the bookstore when I noticed some humans rushing to pick out books for some reason," explained Loki.

"Well," commented Carol, "Christmas is the season of giving, so they had to get something to give to their loved ones."

"I see," replied Loki, "what do you think I should give to my brother?"

Carol scratched her head.

"I haven't really thought about that," admitted Carol.

"Did you tell Ultron about this Christmas?" asked Loki.

"I told him that it's a holiday," answered Carol, "and he did some further research on the Internet."

"Typical for a robot," commented Loki, smirking.

Carol couldn't help but laugh for a moment.

"He can access anything on the Internet," agreed Carol.

"What do you normally get for your siblings?" asked Loki.

"Loki," reminded Carol, "I only have one sister, remember?"

"Oops," blurted Loki, "what do you normally get for your sister?"

"I normally get her a CD of her favorite singer," answered Carol.

"Who is her favorite singer?" asked Loki.

"She likes Katy Perry," answered Carol.

"Interesting," commented Loki.

Carol continued to work on her print in Photoshop while Loki stood from his seat, picked out a book from the shelf and sat back down before he started reading it. Within half an hour, Carol finished the print, so she saved her progress and posted the picture on her Tumblr blog.

"Loki," asked Carol, "can I ask you a favor?"

Loki paused in his reading and glanced at Carol.

"What is that?" clamored Loki.

"Would you mind...helping me plan a Christmas party for the Avengers?" requested Carol.

"All right," nodded Loki.

"Great!" chirped Carol, "and we can invite Ivy and Ultron to come along."

"What about your family?" objected Loki.

"Ok," agreed Carol, "they can come, too."

Carol gently lifted Snoofles off of her lap, stood from her seat and approached Loki. She then placed the cat next to the trickster god, causing him to gently scratch behind the cat's ear, eliciting a cute purr out of him. Just then, Ultron opened the door and stepped inside, catching Carol and Loki's attention.

"Oh," chirped Carol, "hi, Ultron!"

"Oh hi, Carol," cooed Ultron, making a Tommy Wiseau impression.

"Uh," stammered Carol, "I don't understand where that accent came from."

"Ever heard of The Room?" asked Ultron.

"Maybe I'll watch it after Christmas," answered Carol.

"What about Conan the Barbarian?" inquired Ultron.

"I never saw it," admitted Carol.

"I never heard of it," added Loki.

"It is fascinating," explained Ultron, "and it is based off a comic book by Robert E. Howard."

"You used the Internet to research it, right?" clarified Carol.

"That and I've seen it," nodded Ultron.

Carol nodded in agreement as Loki continued to pet Snoofles.

"Now that you're here," said Carol, "do you want to hear of my idea on what to do for Christmas?"

"Sure," nodded Ultron.

"I was thinking of planning a Christmas party for the Avengers on the twenty-fifth of December," explained Carol.

"How are we going to pull this off?" asked Ultron.

"We'll have to talk to the Avengers on where we want to hold it," answered Carol, "we also need to consider a budget for food, decoration and gifts."

"Maybe we can talk to Pepper?" suggested Ultron.

"You mean...Tony's girlfriend?" paused Loki.

"Yes," nodded Ultron.

"Sounds like a great idea!" chirped Carol.

Just then, Alpha stepped into the apartment.

"We'll have to fly to the tower in New York," said Ultron.

"What for?" asked Alpha.

"So we can talk to Pepper about my idea for a Christmas party," answered Carol.

"Sounds interesting," agreed Alpha.

Loki stood from the couch and placed the book back onto the shelf while Carol slipped her shoes and coat on and grabbed her keys and her handbag. Carol and Loki followed Ultron and Alpha out of the apartment, and she took care to lock the door behind her. Once they stepped out of the building, Ultron lifted Carol into his arms and Alpha lifted Loki into his arms. Both robots took off to the sky and flew to New York, where they landed on the deck of the Avengers Tower. They stepped inside and found Pepper in her office.

"Hey, Pepper," called Carol, "do you have a minute?"

"Sure," nodded Pepper, "what is it?"

"We would like to arrange a Christmas party for the Avengers," explained Ultron, "but we need a suitable location and a budget for the decorations, food and gifts."

"How much are we talking?" asked Pepper.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," answered Carol, "especially when we're considering getting a Christmas tree, lights, tinsel, ornaments and a few wreaths for the decorations."

"We also need to know what kind of food each Avenger likes," added Loki.

"And the cost," reminded Ultron.

"That, too," agreed Loki.

"I know I have a craving for corned beef," admitted Carol.

"Not bad," replied Pepper.

"What is Mr. Stark's favorite food?" asked Ultron.

"Prime ribs," answered Pepper.

Carol pulled out her smart phone and jotted down the note.

"Didn't Thor like lamb?" reminded Ultron.

"Oh, that's right!" chirped Carol, "he did."

Carol jotted down the item on her list in her smart phone.

"Loki, what do you like?" clamored Carol.

"Uh, goat," answered Loki.

"I don't think we serve goat here on Earth," replied Carol.

"I also like squid," added Loki.

"We'll need to find a market that sells squid, then," chirped Carol.

Carol jotted down the item on her list.

"So where do you think we should host the Christmas party?" asked Carol.

"How about the headquarters?" suggested Pepper.

"Sounds like a good idea," nodded Ultron.

"We're also going to need to send out invitations," said Loki.

"Good idea," agreed Ultron, "we need those."

Carol began writing out her text message and inputted all of the Avengers into the recipient list on her smart phone telling them of the party. She even added in the fact that the party would involve gift giving, and then sent the message.

"I sent the message," said Carol.

Moments later, Carol heard her smart phone ringing, so she scrolled to her message:

"We'll be there."

Smiling, Carol put away her smart phone and turned to Pepper.

"Thanks for your time, Miss Potts," smiled Carol, "we'll ask the other Avengers on their favorite food and what kind of cookies they want."

"And hopefully, we'll establish a budget before Christmas Eve," replied Pepper.

"So what kind of cookies do you like?" asked Loki.

"I like chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies," answered Carol, "you?"

"Croissants," answered Loki.

"I don't think they count as cookies," objected Ultron.

"Sorry," blurted Loki, "I like double chocolate chip."

Carol jotted down the items on her list before leading Ultron, Loki and Alpha out of Pepper's office, where they ran into Tony.

"Hey, guys," called Tony.

"Hi, Mr. Stark," chirped Carol, "what kind of cookies do you like?"

"Turtle cookies," answered Tony.

Carol jotted down the note on her list while Ultron approached Tony.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," requested Ultron in a quiet voice, "but would you mind helping me out with finding a present for my girlfriend?"

"Sure," nodded Tony.

Smiling, Ultron turned to Carol.

"Is something going on?" asked Carol.

"Why don't you take Loki out Christmas shopping?" suggested Ultron.

"Ok," nodded Carol.

"Why?" interrupted Loki.

"I need to discuss something in private with Ultron," explained Tony.

"Alpha," instructed Ultron, "you keep both Loki and Carol safe."

"No problem," nodded Alpha.

Carol, Alpha and Loki wandered through the tower and took an elevator to the first floor, where they stepped out of the building.

"Why me?" sighed Loki.

Loki turned his head at Carol.

"How about a sword shop?" suggested Loki.

"I don't think so," disagreed Carol.

"Oh, wait," paused Loki.

"What?" clamored Carol.

"Perhaps a warrior figurine?" proposed Loki.

"I highly doubt Asgardians keep figurines," objected Carol.

"Well," replied Loki, "I can't choose a book for him since he's not into books. How would you know about Asgard?"

"I...honestly don't," admitted Carol, "since I never lived there."

"How about a spike?" offered Alpha.

"What?!" exclaimed Loki and Carol in unison.

"For his hammer," clarified Alpha.

"I'm confused," sighed Carol.

"Never mind," replied Alpha.

"How about we take a look around?" suggested Carol, "I'm sure we'll find something."

Loki nodded in agreement. Carol, Loki and Alpha began wandering through the streets of Manhattan, looking for any stores that could pique the trickster god's interest. Whenever they stopped by each store, customers would glare at Loki and even the clerks would ignore him. Carol was able to buy a few gifts for each of the Avengers and her family, even if she refused to tell Loki exactly which gift is for whom. They eventually entered an apparel store, so they wandered around until Loki found the scarf display.

"This is impressive," commented Loki.

"Found anything you like?" asked Carol.

"I was thinking of a scarf for Thor," answered Loki.

"Sure!" chirped Carol, "he would look so cute in it!"

"Cute?" paused Loki.

"Yep," nodded Carol.

"My brother and cute don't go together when it comes to this," objected Loki.

"Aww, why not?" protested Carol in a playful manner.

"It does not fit into my vocabulary," explained Loki.

"If you want to get your brother a scarf," persuaded Alpha, "go for it."

"I'll be sure to do that," agreed Loki.

Loki picked out a red scarf from the display.

"Very nice," commented Alpha, "looks like something for a warrior."

"That, it does," agreed Loki.

Loki, Carol and Alpha headed for the check-out counter, catching the cashier's attention.

"Hi, did you find everything ok?" asked the cashier.

"Yes," nodded Loki.

Loki placed the scarf on the counter, allowing the cashier to use the barcode scanner to scan the label and place the scarf into a plastic bag.

"That'll be 8.75, sir," said the cashier.

Loki paused while wondering how he should pay for the scarf, even if he had no income.

"I'll pay for it," interjected Alpha.

Alpha accessed Ultron's savings and made his payment.

"Thank you, Alpha," smiled Loki.

"No problem," replied Alpha.

"Have a nice day," smiled the cashier.

"You, too," replied Alpha.

Alpha, Carol and Loki stepped out of the store with the shopping bags in tow.

"Ok," chirped Carol, "should we head back to the tower?"

* * *

Meanwhile in the lab, Tony and Ultron were figuring out what gifts to give to the Avengers, especially Carol.

"You got any place special?" asked Tony.

"Pepper suggested the headquarters," answered Ultron.

"Headquarters?" paused Tony.

"Yeah," nodded Ultron.

"Why there?" insisted Tony.

"It's possible that the base has a room big enough to hold a party," assumed Ultron, tilting his head.

"What kind of party?" asked Tony.

"A Christmas party," answered Ultron.

"How many people are we talking?" asked Tony.

"Carol and I intend to invite the Avengers and their loved ones," replied Ultron.

Ultron browsed the Internet and came across an interesting video game.

"Yo-Kai Watch?" commented Ultron, "I wonder if Carol would like it."

Tony gave Ultron a blank stare.

"You're...not familiar with video games?" paused Ultron.

"Pepper's brother is," replied Tony, "he even named a few drones. If you think it would make Carol happy, then go for it."

Ultron placed the order on the GameStop website.

"Hopefully," Ultron said to himself, "it'll arrive on the day before Christmas Eve."

"So are you going to ask the other Avengers on what food they would like?" asked Tony.

"Yeah," nodded Ultron.

Ultron and Tony sent text messages to the other Avengers and their loved ones, which included Jane, Darcy, Erik, Ivy, Carol's family, Bucky, Clint's family, Talasi, Maria and Director Fury.

"I like chocolate chip cookies," said Steve's text message.

"I'm a huge fan of gingerbread cookies," said Wanda's text message.

"Dr. Selvig, Darcy and I could bake some eggnog cookies," said Jane Foster's text message.

"Why don't you add corn on the cob on the list?" said Talasi's text message.

"Do I have to remind you again, Tony?" said Rhodey's text message, "I like prime ribs, and I prefer macadamia nut cookies."

"I could go for sweet potatoes," said Natasha's text message.

"I prefer baked potatoes over mashed potatoes," said Nick Fury's text message.

"I'd like anything from the Jolly Green Giant," said Bruce's text message.

Tony couldn't help but laugh.

"I also would like sirloin steak with shrimp," continued Bruce's text message.

"Is there going to be deep dish pepperoni and meatball pizza?" said Peter's text message.

"I like pulled pork nachos," said Scott's text message.

"My father and I could make tea for the party," said Hope's text message.

"We have smoked turkey for our Christmas dinner," said Clint's text message.

"How about turkey and roast beef panini?" said Sam's text message.

Eventually, Ultron finished the list from the text message and added some of the items from Carol's list. Just then, Carol, Loki and Alpha returned, catching Ultron and Tony's attention.

"What do you know?" said Tony, "Chipmunk's back."

"Ok," called Carol, "we got the gifts! Where do you think we should store them?"

"I have a storage room you can use," answered Tony.

"Ok, but you'd better not peek into the gifts," warned Carol, "or it'll ruin the surprise."

"I know," replied Tony.

Carol grabbed the bags and sprinted into the storage room, where she placed the gifts in a corner and labeled them. She then returned to the lab, where Tony, Ultron, Alpha and Loki were waiting.

"Now I need to get this tree set up," said Tony.

"What tree?" clamored Carol.

Tony glared at Carol.

"Oops," muttered Carol.

"It's a Christmas tree," clarified Tony.

"Are we going to set it up at the party?" asked Loki.

"I say...in a few minutes," answered Carol.

"You want to host the party here?" inquired Ultron.

"I figured since it's big enough," nodded Carol.

"Nice!" commented Tony, "and after that, we can establish a budget for the food."

"How much would this cost?" asked Carol.

"I got this covered," assured Tony, "besides, I got more money than Trump."

"Then let's get decorating!" chirped Carol.

"No problem," replied Tony.

Tony and Ultron headed for the storage and carried out the boxes of decorations. Tony gave Pepper the list, prompting her to begin ordering the food while Ultron and Alpha pulled out the tree from the storage room.

"That's a big tree," commented Carol.

"I'm sure it'll fit the room where we'll hold the party," replied Ultron.

"Yeah, it will," agreed Carol.

Tony opened the box and after placing the tree in the large room with the windows, he showed Ultron how to place the lights on the tree while Loki and Alpha pulled out the wall decorations and set them up. Once Ultron and Tony set up the lights and the garland, they and Carol started putting up ornaments.

"Nice Ferrari ornament," commented Loki.

"Thanks," replied Tony.

"Where did you get it?" asked Loki.

"FAO Schwartz," answered Tony.

"I never heard of him," replied Carol.

"It's a toy store here in New York," clarified Tony.

"I guess I've never been there," commented Carol.

"How long have you been in New York?" asked Loki.

"Only two years," answered Carol.

After several minutes, Carol, Tony and Ultron finished putting up the ornaments.

"How about we let Ultron put the star on the tree?" suggested Carol, "he's tall enough to reach the top."

"Sure," nodded Tony.

Ultron grabbed the star from the box, reached his hand towards the top of the tree and placed the star on it.

"Aww, cute!" chirped Carol.

"How am I cute?" smirked Ultron, tilting his head.

"I meant the star, Ulti," corrected Carol.

Ultron groaned as he rolled his optics while Loki burst into laughter.

"Shortie," remarked Tony, "there you go again."

"Hey, don't call me short!" scolded Carol.

"Then don't call me Ulti," advised Ultron.

"But it's a cute nickname!" protested Carol.

"No," disagreed Ultron.

"Ok, Chipmunk," reminded Tony, "let's get to work."

Carol, Ultron, Loki, Alpha and Tony eventually finished decorating the room.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?" asked Tony.

"I'll go for some eggnog," chirped Carol.

"I would like some wine, please," requested Loki.

"Coming right up," replied Tony.

Tony headed into the kitchen and poured some wine and eggnog into two separate glasses. He then returned to the lounge while carrying the glasses in his hands.

"Ok," called Tony, "here you go."

"I am so thirsty," chirped Carol, "thanks!"

Carol grabbed the glass of eggnog while Loki plucked the glass of wine out of Tony's hand and they both started drinking from their glasses.

"This is pretty good eggnog," commented Carol.

"And you couldn't consider tasting some of the wine?" objected Loki.

"I'm not old enough," explained Carol.

"How old are you again?" asked Loki.

"Nineteen," reminded Carol.

"I see," replied Loki.

"Do Asgardians have any holidays?" asked Carol.

"Yes, we do," nodded Loki.

"What kind?" clamored Carol.

Loki spent the next half hour explaining Asgardian holidays to Carol, Ultron and Tony.

"Interesting," commented Tony.

"Thank you," smiled Loki.

"You're welcome," replied Tony.

"When do you think we should bake the cookies?" clamored Carol.

"We could invite the other Avengers over to help with that," suggested Tony.

"Great!" chirped Carol.

* * *

Over the course of a week, Carol, Ultron, Loki and the other Avengers began planning for the party. They each bought gifts for each other, although they didn't tell anyone what they got to avoid ruining the surprise. Thor even took Loki to a pet store to browse for snakes. Then, on Christmas Eve, the Avengers teamed up to bake their favorite cookies and took turns wrapping their gifts in private before placing their wrapped gifts near the tree. That night, Carol, Ultron, Ivy and Loki spent the night in one of the guest rooms of the Avengers Tower. Ivy even enlisted her trustworthy neighbor to take care of Snoofles for the time being.

Once Christmas morning arrived, Carol slowly opened her eyes after a restful sleep, snuggling in Ultron's arms. She turned her head at the other bed and saw Ivy restfully sleeping next to Loki while holding his hand. She reached for her smart phone to check the time, which was six forty-five in the morning. She set down her smart phone and started stroking Ultron's face, causing him to stir.

"Carol?" whispered Ultron.

"Merry Christmas, Ultron," smiled Carol.

"Merry Christmas, Carol," purred Ultron.

Ultron gently stroked Carol's face, causing her to lean into the touch.

"Should we wake up Loki and Ivy?" asked Carol.

"Sure," nodded Ultron.

Carol and Ultron got out of bed and approached the bed that Loki and Ivy were sharing. The tall mech leaned closer to the trickster god.

"Loki?" whispered Ultron, "you awake?"

Loki groaned as he slowly woke up and opened his eyes.

"Is it that time?" grumbled Loki.

"Yep," nodded Carol.

Smiling, Loki gently stroked Ivy's face, causing her to moan as she slowly opened her eyes and yawned.

"What time is it?" mumbled Ivy.

"Six forty-six," answered Carol.

"Yeah, maybe I should wake up," replied Ivy.

Ivy sat up and climbed out of bed.

"Come on, Loki," beckoned Ivy, tugging on Loki's hand, "let's go get some breakfast!"

"Whoa," paused Loki, "slow down."

Ivy kept tugging on Loki until he got out of bed.

"Ok," sighed Loki, "you don't have to pull on my leg."

"I wonder if the other Avengers are up," said Carol.

"Let's find out, Chipmunk," purred Ultron.

Ultron, Carol, Loki and Ivy left the guest bedroom and headed for the kitchen, where they could see Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Thor and Clint waiting. Clint and Steve were gathering ingredients for breakfast.

"Good morning, guys," said Natasha, "Ivy seems to have a lot of energy."

"So where are the other guests?" asked Ivy.

"Jane volunteered to wake them up," answered Thor.

"I hope they get here, soon," replied Carol, "so what are we having for breakfast?"

"Steve and Clint are making waffles, bacon, sausage and eggs," answered Thor, "since Tony Stark still can't cook."

"Bite me," groaned Tony.

Clint began mixing the ingredients for the waffles as Steve began sautéing some sausage. A few minutes later, Jane returned with Pepper, Darcy, Erik, Nick Fury, Talasi, Maria, Peter, Wanda, Vision, Carol's family, Clint's family, Johnny, Reed, Sue, Ben, Scott, Hope, Sam, Rhodey, Bucky and Hank Pym.

"Morning, guys!" chirped Tony.

"Morning, Tony," replied Rhodey.

"Staying out of trouble?" asked Tony.

"Yes," nodded Pepper, "I'm keeping them in line."

"Sorry," blurted Tony, "I was talking to Rhodey, but keep up the good work there, Pepper."

Loki couldn't help but chuckle.

"Are you going to keep me out of trouble, Miss Potts?" smirked Loki.

"Are you in trouble?" interrogated Pepper.

"He hasn't caused trouble...yet," assured Thor.

Again, Loki chuckled while Jane Foster approached Thor and gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Jane," smiled Thor, "I really appreciate that."

"You're welcome," replied Jane.

Clint's children started approaching Ultron and Vision, much to their confusion.

"Kids," scolded Clint, "leave the robots alone."

Clint sighed as he noticed his children started kicking Ultron and Vision.

"Would you knock it off?" groaned Ultron.

"Sorry," blurted Cooper and Lila in unison.

"Go play with your toys," beckoned Clint.

Cooper and Lila set off to play. After a while, Steve and Clint finished making breakfast.

"Ok," announced Clint, "breakfast is ready!"

Everyone except Ultron and Vision served themselves and started eating.

"Pretty good," commented Tony.

"Thanks," replied Steve.

"The waffles are great!" chirped Carol.

"So are the eggs," added Wanda.

"What about them?" asked Carol.

"They are properly cooked and season," answered Wanda.

"Yeah, that's true," agreed Janette.

"I like it when certain foods are seasoned," replied Carol.

"Even the sausage is great," added Ivy.

"I like it on a pizza the best," chirped Carol.

"That's so typical of you, Carol," commented Peter.

Eventually, everyone finished their breakfast, returned to their rooms and got dressed before heading out to the lounge.

"When do we open the presents?" clamored Carol.

"I was getting to that," replied Tony.

"Awesome!" chirped Carol.

"Why don't we let Capsicle start?" suggested Tony.

"No problem, Tonya," teased Steve.

"What?!" exclaimed Tony.

Carol and Loki burst into laughter. Tony couldn't help but smile as he scratched his head. Steve approached the tree and picked up a present.

"This one's for Pepper," said Steve.

Steve handed Pepper the present, prompting her to open it. Inside was a pearl necklace.

"It looks beautiful," commented Pepper in a joyous tone.

"I'm glad you like it," smiled Steve.

"Thanks," replied Pepper.

"You're welcome," said Steve.

Steve picked out another gift from the tree.

"Here's another one coming up," announced Steve, "this one's for Carol."

Carol plucked the present out of Steve's hand and opened it, revealing Yo-Kai Watch.

"Wow," chirped Carol, "this is so cool!"

"I'm glad you like it," replied Ultron.

"Wow," commented Ivy, "I've never seen someone that excited."

"Thanks, Ultron!" smiled Carol.

"You're welcome, Chipmunk," purred Ultron.

Steve picked out yet another present from the tree.

"This one's for Loki," said Steve.

"Is it a bomb?" asked Loki.

"I don't think so," answered Steve.

Steve handed Loki the present, causing him to open it, revealing a fantasy novel.

"Eragon?" paused Loki.

"Yep," nodded Ivy.

"Maybe I'll consider reading it," smiled Loki.

"You should," agreed Ivy.

"Thank you, Ivy," replied Loki.

"You're welcome," smiled Ivy.

Steve picked out another present.

"This one's for Clint," said Steve.

Clint grabbed the present and opened it, revealing a hunting vest.

"Thanks, honey," smiled Clint.

"Anytime, sweetie," replied Laura.

Steve picked out another present.

"This one is for Thor," said Steve.

Thor plucked the present out of Steve's hand.

"It's very soft," commented Thor.

Thor opened the present, revealing the red scarf.

"Loki?" paused Thor, "you got this?"

"I thought you would like it," explained Loki.

"Thank you," smiled Thor.

Thor gave Loki a hug while Steve pulled a corn snake out of a tank near the tree.

"This one's for Ivy, apparently," said Steve.

"Oh, cool!" chirped Ivy, "a snake!"

Ivy plucked the snake out of Steve's hand, allowing it to slither around her hand.

"I'm glad you like it," replied Loki.

Ivy hugged Loki, careful not to hurt the snake.

"Thanks, Loki!" chirped Ivy.

Ivy gave Loki a kiss, much to his surprise.

"I'm flattered," chuckled Loki, blushing.

The Avengers and the other guests continued to exchange and open gifts. Eventually, Steve picked out another present and held it out before Pepper.

"I guess this one's from Tony," said Steve.

Pepper opened the present, revealing a small box with an engagement ring inside.

"Tony," gasped Pepper, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"It's been so long since we've been together," explained Tony, "and I feel that you're the best person I could care for."

Tony approached Pepper and got down onto his knee.

"Will you...marry me?" stammered Tony.

"Why...yes," smiled Pepper.

Tony got to his feet and Pepper pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Awesome!" chirped Carol.

"Aww," smiled Ivy.

"We'll need to plan a wedding at some point," commented Bruce.

"Yeah," agreed Tony, "you're right."

While Thor picked out a present and handed it to Steve, Carol found a present she got and approached Ultron.

"Here," said Carol, "I got this for you."

Ultron carefully opened the present, revealing a helicopter style flying drone.

"This one looks interesting," purred Ultron.

"I wanted you to have your own personal drone," explained Carol.

"Are you sure my droids don't count?" asked Ultron.

"Yeah, they count," nodded Carol, "but check it out."

Ultron pulled the drone out of the box and turned it on, and then it started flying.

"Now this is interesting," commented Ultron.

"So you like it?" chirped Carol.

"I love it," smiled Ultron.

Smiling, Carol gave Ultron a hug, causing him to return the embrace. Steve plucked out another present from the tree.

"Wanda," called Steve, "you're next."

Wanda plucked the present out of Steve's hands and opened it, revealing a Harry Potter book from Vision.

"Why...thank you, Vision," stammered Wanda.

"You're welcome," replied Vision.

Carol released her embrace and picked out a present before holding it out before Ivy.

"Here you go, Ivy!" chirped Carol.

Ivy opened up the present, revealing a PSVita and Dangan Ronpa.

"Dangan Ronpa?" paused Ivy.

"It's a murder mystery game," explained Carol, "since you're an aspiring detective, I thought it would be appropriate."

"Thanks," smiled Ivy, "I'll give it a try."

Steve plucked out a gift and handed it to Bucky.

"Here," said Steve.

Bucky opened the present, revealing a car model kit.

"Hey, this is neat!" commented Bucky, "I expected no less of you, Steve. Thanks."

"No problem," replied Steve.

Eventually, the gift exchange was over, with everyone satisfied with their gifts.

"Ready to get this party started?" announced Bruce.

"Am I ever," replied Natasha.

"I'm excited," added Johnny.

"Want to pop in How to Train Your Dragon?" asked Andrew.

"I have it on Blu-Ray," nodded Tony.

"Anyone want some hot chocolate?" called Reed.

"Sure!" nodded Carol.

Reed, Sue and Darcy began making hot chocolate and Erik Selvig pulled out the cookies to display them on the table while Tony popped in the Blu-Ray of How to Train Your Dragon. Everyone in the lounge began enjoying the movie while striking up enjoyable conversations. Several minutes later, Reed, Sue and Darcy finished making the hot chocolate and they passed it around to those who were able to drink it while they fetched their cookies. Some of them added whipped cream to their hot chocolate while others added marshmallows. Wanda, Vision, Loki, Thor, Jane, Ivy, Carol and Ultron stood by the window, where they saw a sheet of snow blanketing the balcony of the tower, probably from the fact that it snowed yesterday.

"So," asked Carol, "how are you guys enjoying the Christmas party so far?"

"It was excellent," answered Vision.

"I'm happy that I got a snake," added Ivy, gently stroking her corn snake's head with her finger, "we'll have to feed him some mice when he's hungry."

"I think I understand why you wanted to hold a Christmas party," replied Ultron, "it's so that way we could spend time with friends and family."

"Yeah," agreed Carol, "what's also important is the thought of the gift."

"So did you get something for your dad?" asked Jane, fiddling with her Christmas card.

"I got him a similar card," explained Thor, "he enjoyed it and sent his thanks."

"That's good to hear," replied Loki.

Thor gave Loki a pat on the back.

"Father also sent his Christmas wish to you, Loki," continued Thor.

"Right," nodded Loki.

"I wish my brother was here, though," sighed Wanda, "he would've enjoyed it."

"I'm sure he would've wanted you to be happy this season," assured Vision.

"You're right," smiled Wanda.

Wanda gave Vision a hug while Carol sipped from her mug.

"How about we go watch the movie?" suggested Carol.

"Sure thing," nodded Ivy, "and I was going to consider trying out Dangan Ronpa."

"I'm more likely looking forward to the Christmas dinner this evening," added Loki.

"Well," replied Ultron, "we got all day to watch all sorts of movies."

Ultron, Carol, Wanda, Vision, Loki, Ivy, Thor and Jane rejoined the others to watch the movie. Even with the Christmas dinner coming up, anyone could say it was a memorable Christmas for the Avengers.


End file.
